Laparoscopic Removal of a Giant Gallstone in UAE: A Case Report

Abstract

Diseases of the gallbladder (GB) are a common occurrence, and gallstones are the most common biliary pathology. Lately, the incidence of gallstone disease has been on the rise in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We present a case report of a 52 years old female who presented with severe upper abdominal pain. The clinical examination and ultrasound imaging were consistent with the calculus of the gallbladder with acute cholecystitis without obstruction. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) was performed to remove a gallstone of 6.8 cm in size. This was performed uneventfully. The prevalence of gallstones ranges from 0.1% to 50.5 % worldwide. Gallstones more than 5 cm in diameter are not seen often. LC is quite challenging in such cases. This case report is being presented due to the limited availability of literature on the Laparoscopic removal of giant gallstones in the UAE. Our aim here is to convey that LC can be considered the first choice vis-a-vis open method even in giant gallstone cases in the presence of trained personnel and equipped settings. The epigastric port can be extended for extracting the gallbladder specimen. Open cholecystectomy is a safe method if clear delineation of anatomy is not possible.